Today the adventure was practical. I strapped Blue Belle to Pearl and drove to Champion Toyota on IH35 between Ben White and Stassney. I left Pearl for her 45,000-mile check up and inspection sticker, donned helmet and gloves, dropped my purse and water bottles into the basket and took off.

Thanks to Google Maps, which will track a bike route with the click of a button, I had turn-by-turn instructions on how to get home without having to brave a major roadway. There were so many twists and turns, I had to keep the map in my hand. At one point, I didn’t like the looks of where the map wanted to go, so I took over and quickly outsmarted myself—as usual. My iPhone GPS got me out of that trouble. I did get to see some really interesting south Austin neighborhoods though! Lots of large men walking mean looking dogs. They all waved and said hi back when I whizzed past with a bright smile and, “Good Morning!”

I took the long way home, via a stop at the hair dresser for a haircut (Belle was locked to her first bike rack—no longer a virgin), followed by a trip along 45 and the Veloway for good measure, before stopping to have my first mani/pedi of the 2012 sandal season. No bike rack there, so I locked Belle to the grocery cart corral at Randall’s. (NOTE to Randall’s: you really need a bike rack. As I left, another bike came in and took my place. It was like parking in New York City!)

I learned about a neat little area that I rode through on my way to Escarpment from Davis Lane. I took a side trip through Karst Preserve at Western Oaks, a small area with a sink hole and a cave that feeds into the Edward’s Aquifer. No sign said bikes were not permitted, so I took off down the gravel pathway into the woods. I did have to portage over some stairs, but the short ride was really sweet.

The big fund raising ride is only two days away. Today I did 20 miles. Saturday, I’ll be taking on 29 miles from Reunion Ranch in Georgetown.

You can still sponsor me! I have $250 more to raise to reach my goal of $1,250. Click HERE to go to my personal page on the Hill Country Ride for AIDS website.

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About Suzanne Freeman

I have been back in Austin for two years now after a 20-year absence, first in Sacramento, California, then to New York City, where I spent the last 16 years. I miss The City and the friends I left in both places, but love, love, love being back in Austin with my family. Thanks, Steve for coming with me!